A client at the last minute has asked if the site I have developed for them can be hosted on https instead of the current http. I have never used https for a site so have no idea what is involved or what the implications are.
The site in question is hosted on a shared hosting linux server. The site is essentially just a one page site for uploading video files coded in PHP and using a MYSQL database to store data associated with the video files uploaded.
So 2 questions really.
Is it simply a case of asking the hosting company to transfer the site from http to https
Will changing from http to https require any recoding of the site.
Sorry if dumb questions but I really have no idea.
You are going to need a SSL certificate and an IP address if your hosting account doesn’t already come with one. Contact your host to find out if your plan has this or if you will need to upgrade.
Not much. A simple htaccess redirect can force users to use the https protocol. Not hard to do if you are doing it for the entire site. Will require no recoding of your PHP.
Not dumb at all. I don’t know the particular features of the hosting plan you are on. You will have to make sure your account is set up for SSL. Your web hosting company will be able to answer that question.
Let me add to cd’s answer ( :tup: ) in that I always add one more thing (to my PHP scripts which require SSL protection): A check of the $_SERVER[‘SERVER_PORT’] to ensure it’s 443 else redirection to the https: version of the URL.
Thanks cheesedude and David - really helpful and great to know that no recoding is required. I have checked with my hosting company and they can set up standard SSL for £50 per year and this includes a static IP address so good news on the cost front too.
